Backpack with suspension

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a backpack ( 1 ) comprising a bag ( 2 ), a frame ( 3   a,    3   b,    5 ) secured to the rear face ( 7 ) of the bag so as to form a dorsal plane ( 9 ) having a pair of straps ( 11   a,    11   b ) slidably mounted thereon, and a belt assembly ( 13 ) having a bottom portion ( 15 ) arranged to be held around the waist. Link means ( 17, 19 ) are arranged between the belt assembly ( 13 ) and the pair of straps ( 11   a,    11   b ), together forming a dorsal holder element ( 21 ) arranged to enable the belt assembly to be slidably mounted relative to the dorsal plane. Suspension support means ( 23 ) are arranged between the bottom portion ( 15 ) of the belt assembly and the bottom portion ( 25 ) of the dorsal plane in order to retain the bag by keeping the dorsal plane pressed against the back and by damping movements of the bag relative to the dorsal holder element.

The present invention relates to a backpack, in particular designed for sporting activities such as hiking, the backpack serving to store articles such as clothing, or indeed any type of article associated with hiking.

The invention is suitable for implementation in particular by manufacturers of textile articles relating to practicing sporting activities, in particular by the manufacturers of bags.

Various bag designs are known that commonly comprise a bag proper for containing articles, and a pair of straps arranged in the back of the bag to enable it to be supported. Some such designs, including some that are very elaborate, are described in documents WO 2004/082426, WO 2004/082427, US 2006/0151559, U.S. Pat. No. 6,619,523, EP 1 618 813, and EP 1 602 299.

Documents WO 2004/082426 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,619,523 disclose in particular a backpack including a structure that is secured to a pair of straps and to a waist belt. The bag proper is slidably mounted so as to be suspended relative to said structure. That design serves in particular to act as a shock absorber during the movements of the user carrying the backpack full of articles. The suspension means may be disposed in the bottom portion of the structure in order to offset the load towards the waist belt. Such backpacks present the drawback of offsetting the load behind the user's back, so the user needs to compensate said offset, e.g. by leaning significantly forwards in order to return the center of gravity to a suitable position while walking.

Documents WO 2004/082427, US 2006/0151559, EP 1 618 813, and EP 1 602 299 disclose in particular a backpack having flexible or resilient support means arranged between the back of the bag proper and the waist belt, those means enabling the load of the backpack to be offset onto the belt and to act as a shock absorber while the user is moving about. In those various designs, the belt supports the bag proper, in particular by means of flexible or resilient support arms that are arranged between the belt and the back of the bag or a structure fitted on the back of said bag. Those means also enable the bag to be mounted relative to the belt in pivotal or hinged manner.

The backpacks described in documents WO 2004/082427 and EP 1 618 813 have means for adjusting the position of the straps relative to the back of the bag in order to adjust the position between the pair of straps and the waist belt. Adjustment means are also implemented in document US 2006/0151559 between the waist belt and the back of the bag in order to adjust the spacing between the pair of straps and said belt. In those three documents, once the spacing between the pair of straps and the belt has been adjusted, said pair of straps is stationary relative to the back of the bag; if the adjustment is poor, in particular if the spacing is too small, then the pair of straps tends to support the load, which load is then offset towards the top of the backpack onto the user's shoulders, and not onto the waist belt.

In document EP 1 602 299, the pair of straps is mounted to slide relative to a structure that is secured to the back of the backpack, said structure receiving said above-described support means and being connected to the waist belt. Such a design enables the position of the pair of straps to be properly adjusted relative to the belt and makes it possible to ensure that the load is offset onto the user's waist.

Furthermore, the backpack designs according to documents WO 2004/082427, US 2006/0151559, EP 1 618 813, and EP 1 602 299 suffer from the drawback of offsetting the load behind the user's back. In those various backpack designs, the support arms are flexible or resilient, so as to damp the load contained in the bag. That has the drawback of deforming and curving said support arms of the bag, thereby tending to offset the load outwards, behind the user's back. The load then pivots or tilts rearwards relative to the belt and pulls on the pair of straps, thus exerting pressure on the user's shoulders who may then suffer discomfort while moving. Conversely, using a support arm that is too rigid suffers from the drawback of reducing the damping of the bag and thus of increasing impacts.

In addition, in those various designs, the flexible support means present considerable bulk, in particular the section of the support arms that need to be strong enough to support the load while limiting their own deformation. This bulk suffers from the drawback of offsetting the load rearwards behind the user's back, and the user then needs to lean forwards in order to compensate said load.

An object of the present invention is to mitigate the drawbacks of existing backpacks, in particular as described in the above-mentioned prior documents, by implementing a novel backpack design that enables the load of the bag to be offset to the waist belt. The backpack of the invention presents the advantage of attenuating the extent to which the load is offset behind the user's back, and of eliminating pivoting of said load at the waist belt, thereby making it possible to attenuate the rearward traction exerted on the straps, and thus reducing the pressure on the shoulders.

This design also has the advantage of improving damping of the load at the waist belt, compared with the backpack described in documents WO 2004/082427, US 2006/0151559, EP 1 618 813, and EP 1 602 299, by using damper means that present better elastic properties, while keeping the load of the bag suitably pressed against the user's back.

Another object of the present invention is to design a backpack that presents support means of reduced thickness so as to limit the spacing between the user's back and the back of the backpack, thereby attenuating the offset of the load behind the user's back.

The present invention relates to a backpack comprising a bag proper, and a frame secured to the rear face of the bag. The frame and the rear face form a dorsal plane adjacent to the back of the user of the backpack. A pair of straps is mounted to slide vertically on the dorsal plane. The backpack also has a waist belt assembly presenting at least a bottom portion that is arranged to be held firmly around the waist of a user.

The backpack includes link means arranged between the belt assembly and the pair of straps, together constituting an assembly forming a holder element arranged to enable the belt assembly to be mounted to slide vertically relative to said dorsal plane.

In addition, suspension support means are arranged at least between the bottom portion of the belt assembly and the bottom portion of the dorsal plane in order to retain the load of the bag under the belt, keeping the dorsal plane pressed against the back and damping movements of the bag relative to the dorsal holder element.

The frame of the backpack comprises two lateral rigid blades. These rigid blades are arranged vertically, at least in the top portion of the rear face of the bag. The two straps are mounted to slide on the two blades. Furthermore, the frame also has a rigid blade arranged horizontally in the bottom portion of the rear face of the bag.

In preferred manner, the two vertical rigid blades and the horizontal rigid blade are incorporated in the rear face of the bag, which presents the advantage of improving the pressing of the bag against the back of the user.

In preferred manner, the frame also includes a cross structure arranged to exert pressure on the rear face of the bag and to hold said rear face spaced apart a little from the user's back. In one embodiment, this cross structure may be placed on the outside of the bag, on the rear face thereof, being secured to the two vertical rigid blades and possibly also to the horizontal rigid blade. In a variant design, the cross structure is independent of the vertical and/or horizontal rigid blades and is secured to the rear face of the bag, on the inside thereof.

The belt assembly comprises a waist belt proper constituting the bottom portion. This belt assembly optionally includes an additional rigid part secured to said waist belt, preferably by means of a pivot mount. Furthermore, the additional rigid part is also mounted to slide vertically relative to the dorsal plane, preferably by means of a slideway mounting to slide relative to the vertical rigid blades.

The suspension support means include resilient means constituted in particular by at least one elastic strip or a spring, these resilient means being uniformly distributed relative to the belt assembly, e.g. relative to the belt. In an embodiment of these suspension support means, the top end of the elastic strip or of the spring is fastened to the belt, in particular via its inside face. The bottom end of the elastic strip or of the spring is fastened to the dorsal plane. In addition, the bottom end of the elastic strip or of the spring is fastened to the horizontal rigid blade. In a variant embodiment of the suspension support means, said means comprise resilient means constituted in particular by at least one elastic strip, distributed uniformly relative to the belt assembly. One of the ends of the resilient means is fastened to the dorsal holder element, in particular at its half-height, e.g. on the top portion of the belt assembly, on the bottom portion of the pair of straps, or on the link means between said belt assembly and said pair of straps. The other end of said resilient means, in particular the bottom end of the elastic strip, is fastened to the dorsal plane, preferably in the top portion thereof. In addition, these resilient means, in particular the elastic strip, extend downwards and pass around a deflector element situated in the bottom portion of said dorsal plane so as to retain the load of the bag below the belt and encourage the dorsal plane to be pressed against the dorsal holder element.

The link means arranged between the belt assembly and the pair of straps may be designed in various ways. In an embodiment, the link means are constituted by a rigid strip or a flexible web having its top end connected to the pair of straps and its bottom end connected to the belt. In a variant design, the link means comprise adjustment means arranged to adjust the length between the belt assembly and the pair of straps. Preferably, these link means are constituted by a flexible web connected firstly to the pair of straps and secondly to the belt assembly. Preferably, the bottom end of the flexible web is fastened to the belt assembly and its top end is fastened to the dorsal plane, the pair of straps further including assembly means with said flexible web, which assembly means are arranged to lock the pair of straps in position at any point along said flexible web. These assembly means may be constituted in particular by an adjustment buckle of the cam buckle type, with the flexible web passing therethrough.

The description below describes various preferred embodiments of the backpack of the invention. The description refers to the figures, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a backpack of the invention in side view;

FIG. 2 shows a first embodiment of the backpack of the invention seen from behind;

FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment of the backpack of the invention seen from behind; and

FIG. 4 shows a third embodiment of the backpack of the invention seen from the side.

As shown in FIG. 1, the backpack 1 of the invention comprises a bag 2 constituting a pack proper. The rear face 7 of the bag is fitted with a frame, the assembly constituted by the rear face and the frame forming a dorsal plane 9. This dorsal plane is adjacent to the user's back when the user is carrying the backpack.

In preferred and non-limiting manner, as shown in

FIGS. 1 to 3, the frame comprises two rigid side blades 3 a and 3 b. These blades 3 a and 3 b are arranged vertically, at least over the top portion of the face 7 of the bag 2, and preferably over its full height. These vertical blades 3 a, 3 b receive a pair of straps 11 a, 11 b, with the assembly between said elements being made to be slidable, e.g. using a slideway. Furthermore, the frame also has a rigid blade 5 arranged horizontally at the bottom portion of the rear face 7 of the bag 2.

Preferably, these vertical rigid blades 3 a, 3 b and the horizontal rigid blade 5 are made as a single common rigid structure that is U-shaped, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the U-shape structure being preferably incorporated in the rear face 7 of the bag 2.

In a variant embodiment, the frame has a cross structure for providing rigidity to the dorsal plane 9. The cross structure is preferably secured to top and bottom ends of the vertical frames. Other embodiments can nevertheless be envisaged, such as for example an arrangement of the cross structure inside the bag 2, over the rear face 7 thereof. Under such circumstances, the cross structure is independent of the vertical frames. The function of the cross structure is firstly to exert pressure on the rear face 7 of the bag 2 and thus prevent the load contained in the bag 2 from deforming the rear face 7 and coming into contact with the user's back, and secondly to maintain a small amount of space between the user's back and the rear face 7 of the bag of the backpack for ventilation purposes.

In a preferred design, the vertical rigid blades 3 a, 3 b and the horizontal rigid blade 5 are embedded in the rear face 7 of the bag 2.

The backpack 1 also includes a waist belt assembly 13. This waist belt assembly presents at least a bottom portion 15 that is held firmly around a user's waist, e.g. by means of a belt buckle or a snap-fastening male and female closure system.

The backpack includes link means 17, 19. These means are arranged between the belt assembly 13 and the pair of straps 11 a, 11 b. The arrangement is fixed and constitutes a dorsal holder element 21 while it is in use. The arrangement enables the belt assembly 13 to be mounted slidably relative to the vertical blades 3 a, 3 b, and thus relative to the dorsal plane 9.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, suspension support means are arranged at least between the bottom portion 15 of the belt assembly 13 and the bottom portion 25 of the dorsal plane 9. The function of these means is to retain the load of the bag 2 by keeping the dorsal plane 9 pressed against the user's back while damping movements of the bag 2 relative to the dorsal holder element 21.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the bottom portion of the belt assembly 13 includes a waist belt 15 proper. The suspension support means comprise resilient means that extend under the belt 15. In preferred but non-limiting manner, these resilient means are constituted by at least one elastic strip 23. Nevertheless, it is possible to envisage using any other resilient means, such as springs, for example. These resilient means are distributed uniformly relative to the belt 15 and are, for example, fastened to the inside face 27 of said belt 15.

In the two embodiments shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the top end 29 of the elastic strip 23 is fastened to the inside face 27 of the belt 15, while its bottom end 31 is fastened to the dorsal plane 9, in particular in its bottom portion constituted by the horizontal rigid blade 5.

The position of the elastic strip 23 under the waist belt 15 thus enables the bag of the backpack to be retained, preventing it from pivoting rearwards relative to the belt assembly 13 and the pair of straps 11 a, 11 b constituting part of the dorsal holder element 21, and regardless of the modulus of elasticity selected for said elastic strip. In addition, the slideway link mounting of said dorsal holder element 21 relative to the dorsal plane 9, in particular relative to the straps 11 a, 11 b and possibly relative to the belt element 13 enables these two elements 9 and 21 to be kept properly pressed against each other.

In the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the belt assembly 13 is constituted solely by the waist belt 15 as described above. The link means arranged between the waist belt 15 and the pair of straps 11 a, 11 b are constituted by a rigid strip 17. The top end 33 of the rigid strip 17 is connected to the central portion of the pair of straps 11 a, 11 b. Furthermore, the bottom end 35 of the rigid strip 17 is connected to the top portion of the belt 15. This forms a unit assembly. The rigid strip may nevertheless be replaced by a flexible web.

In this first design shown in FIG. 2, the suspension support means of the backpack 1 comprise two additional elastic strips 37 a, 37 b disposed on either side of the rigid strip 17. The top ends 39 a, 39 b of the two elastic strips 37 a, 37 b are connected to the pair of straps 11 a, 11 b, in particular via the central portion thereof. The bottom ends 41 a, 41 b of the elastic strips 37 a, 37 b are connected to the dorsal plane 9, in particular via the vertical rigid blades 3 a, 3 b, as shown in FIG. 2.

In the second design shown in FIG. 3, the belt assembly 13 of the backpack 1 is constituted by the belt proper 15 and by a rigid part 43. This part 43 has a bottom end 45 and two side ends 47 a, 47 b. The bottom end 45 is pivotally mounted relative to the belt 15 and the top side ends 47 a, 47 b are mounted via a slideway link relative to the vertical rigid blades 3 a, 3 b.

In this second design, the link means are constituted by adjustment means 19 arranged between the rigid part 43 and the pair of straps 11 a, 11 b. These adjustment means 19 enable the length between the rigid part 43 and the pair of straps 11 a, 11 b to be adjusted in order to adjust the position of the straps as well as possible relative to the waist belt 15.

In preferred and non-limiting manner, the adjustment means are constituted by a web 19 provided with length adjustment means. The top end 49 of the web 19 is connected to the central portion of the pair of straps 11 a, 11 b. Its bottom end 51 is connected to the top central portion of the rigid part 43.

Such adjustment means may also be implemented on the first design shown in FIG. 2 when the link means are constituted by a web replacing the rigid strip 17. Under such circumstances, and in a preferred design, the web is fastened at its bottom end to the waist belt 15, while its top end is fastened to the dorsal plane 9. In addition, the pair of straps 11 a, 11 b includes in its central portion assembly means of the adjustable cam buckle type having passing therethrough the web connected at its bottom and top ends respectively to the belt 15 and to the dorsal plane. Thus, the adjustment buckle enables the pair of straps 11 a, 11 b to be locked at any point along the web between those two ends. Such adjustment means may also be provided in the second design shown in FIG. 3, or indeed in any other design of the backpack of the invention.

In the design of FIG. 3, the rigid part 43 is, in particular, triangular in shape. The base 53 of the triangle is placed on top and has the adjustment web 19 fastened thereto. The two top side ends 47 a, 47 b are constituted by the two ends of the base. The vertex 55 of the triangle is disposed at the bottom and constitutes said bottom end 45.

In this second design shown in FIG. 3, the vertex 55 is pivotally mounted relative to the bottom portion 57 of the belt 15. The dimensions of the triangle are such that the base 53 is disposed immediately above the top end 59 of the belt 15, in particular to enable appropriate mounting of the top side ends 47 a, 47 b slidably on the vertical rigid blades 3 a, 3 b. This pivot connection provides freedom of movement between the belt 15 and the pair of straps 11 a, 11 b.

In this second design, the backpack preferably includes additional resilient link means arranged to act as a shock absorber and to retain the top end of the dorsal portion 9 suitably pressed against the pair of straps 11 a, 11 b. These means are constituted in particular by a pair of elastic strips 61 a, 61 b having their bottom ends 63 a, 63 b secured to the top portions 65 a, 65 b of the two straps 11 a, 11 b. Their top ends 67 a, 67 b are fastened to the dorsal plane 9.

In the variant shown in FIG. 4, the suspension support means are constituted by an elastic strip 68 having its top end 69 a fastened to the dorsal holder element 21, preferably at its half-height 70, e.g. level with the link means 17, 19. Nevertheless, this top end 69 a of the strip may be fastened to the belt assembly 13, e.g. to the belt 15 or to the pair of straps 11 a, 11 b. In addition, the second end 69 b of the elastic strip 68 is fastened to the dorsal plane 9, preferably at the top portion 71 thereof, as shown in FIG. 4. This elastic strip 68 extends downwards and presents a curved portion 69 c. In addition, the backpack has a deflector element 72 arranged in the bottom portion 25 of the dorsal plane 9, e.g. at the horizontal rigid blade 5. This deflector element 72 is received in the curved portion 69 c of the elastic strip 68. Thus, the curved portion 69 c supports the load of the bag 2. Such a design may also be envisaged in the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, or indeed in all other variants, in particular the various embodiments of the link means between the belt assembly 13 and the pair of straps 11 a, 11 b.

In a variant design that may be adapted in particular to the various embodiments described above, the backpack has a blocking system arranged to neutralize the suspension support means so as to constitute a rigid support between the dorsal holder element 21 and the dorsal plane 9.

This rigid support enables the backpack to be held firmly on the back. By way of example, such a rigid support is used during intensive movements during which it is necessary to pass or jump over obstacles, or to move along tricky paths, during which it is preferable for the bag of the backpack to be firmly maintain against the user's back.

In an embodiment, the blocking system is constituted by a system of rigid webs arranged in particular between the belt assembly 13 and the dorsal plane 9 or between the pairs of straps 11 a, 11 b and the dorsal plane 9. For example, the rigid web system is arranged between the bottom end of the waist belt 15 and the horizontal rigid blade 5, the rigid web system being designed to enable said webs to be tightened to a length that is shorter than the length of the suspension support means as constituted in particular by the elastic strip 23 when it is in its normal position. 

1. A backpack comprising: a bag: a frame secured to the rear face of the bag so as to form a dorsal plane adjacent to the back of the user of the backpack, the dorsal plane having a pair of straps mounted thereon to slide vertically; a belt assembly having at least a bottom portion arranged to be held securely around the waist of a user; and a link arranged between the belt assembly and the pair of straps (11 a, 11 b), wherein the resulting arrangement forms a dorsal holder element arranged to enable the belt assembly to be mounted to slide vertically relative to the dorsal plane, and wherein suspension supports are arranged at least between the bottom portion of the belt assembly and the bottom portion of the dorsal plane to retain the bag by keeping the dorsal plane pressed against the back and by damping relative movements of the bag relative to the dorsal holder element.
 2. A backpack according to claim 1, wherein the frame further comprises two lateral rigid blades arranged vertically at least in the top portion of the rear face of the bag, with the two straps being slidably mounted thereon.
 3. A backpack according to claim 2, wherein the frame further comprises a horizontal rigid blade arranged horizontally in the bottom portion of the rear face of the bag.
 4. A backpack according to claim 3, wherein the rigid blades are incorporated in the rear face of the bag.
 5. A backpack according to claim 1 wherein the bottom portion of the belt assembly comprises a waist belt proper, and the suspension supports comprise a resilient member comprising at least one elastic strip, distributed uniformly relative to the belt, the top end of the elastic strip being fastened to the belt and the bottom end of the elastic strip being fastened to the dorsal plane.
 6. A backpack according to claim 5, wherein the frame further comprises a horizontal rigid blade arranged horizontally in the bottom portion of the rear face of the bag and the bottom end of the elastic strip is fastened to the horizontal rigid blade.
 7. A backpack according to claim 1 wherein the suspension supports comprise a resilient member comprising an elastic strip, the resilient member being uniformly distributed relative to the belt assembly, one of the ends of the elastic strip being fastened to the dorsal holder element, in particular at its half-height, and the other of the ends being fastened to the dorsal plane in particular in the top portion thereof, the elastic strip passing around a deflector element situated in the bottom portion of the dorsal plane.
 8. A backpack according to claim 7, wherein the frame further comprises a horizontal rigid blade arranged horizontally in the bottom portion of the rear face of the bag and the deflector element is arranged at the horizontal rigid blade.
 9. A backpack according to claim 5 wherein the belt assembly is constituted solely by the belt, and in that the link arranged between the belt assembly and the pair of straps are comprises a rigid strip having its top end connected to the pair of straps and its bottom end connected to the belt together forming a unit assembly.
 10. A backpack according to claim 9, wherein the suspension supports comprise two elastic strips distributed on either side of the rigid strip, the top ends of the elastic strips being connected to the pair of straps and the bottom ends of the elastic strips being connected to the dorsal plane.
 11. A backpack according to claim 5 wherein the belt assembly is constituted solely by the waist belt, and the link arranged between the belt assembly and the pair of straps (11 a, 11 b) comprises a flexible web connected beside its top end to the pair of straps and beside its bottom end to the belt.
 12. A backpack according to claim 11, wherein the bottom end of the web is fastened to the belt and the top end of said web is fastened to the dorsal plane, the pair of straps having an assembly with the web, the assembly being arranged to lock the pair of straps in position at any point along said web.
 13. A backpack according to claim 12, wherein the assembly comprises an adjustment buckle through which the web passes.
 14. A backpack according to claim 5 wherein the belt assembly comprises the waist belt and a rigid part having its bottom end mounted to pivot relative to the belt and having top side ends mounted to slide relative to the vertical rigid blades, and in that the link is arranged between the rigid part (43) and the pair of straps.
 15. A backpack according to claim 14, wherein the link comprises an adjustment arranged to adjust the length between the rigid part and the pair of straps.
 16. A backpack according to claim 15, wherein the adjustment comprises a web provided with a length adjustment, the top end thereof being connected to the pair of straps and the bottom end being connected to the rigid part.
 17. A backpack according to claim 14, wherein the rigid part is triangular in shape with the base of the triangle being disposed at the top and presenting said two top side ends, and with the vertex thereof being disposed at the bottom and forming the bottom end.
 18. A backpack according to claim 17, wherein the vertex is pivotally mounted at the bottom portion of the belt, with the base being disposed above the top end of said belt.
 19. A backpack according to claim 14 wherein an additional resilient link comprising two elastic strips is arranged as a shock absorber, the strips having their bottom ends secured to the top portions of the two straps and having their top ends secured to the dorsal plane.
 20. A backpack according to claim 1 wherein the frame comprises a cross structure arranged to exert pressure on the rear face of the bag and to maintain the rear face spaced a little apart from the user's back.
 21. A backpack according to claim 20, wherein the cross structure is disposed on the rear face on the inside of the bag.
 22. A backpack according to claim 1, further comprising a locking system arranged between the dorsal holder element and the dorsal plane to neutralize the suspension supports. 